


training for a simpler life

by arfrid



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hybrids, Enderman Hybrid Niki | Nihachu, Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Hybrids, I GET TO CHOOSE THE AU, I mean, Twins Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, WOOOOOOOH, go watch that, i saw the new syndicate and went, its really only implied, no-one can stop me, oh yeah and phil is a human, this was the result of watching Escape from Divinity for the fifth time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29903463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arfrid/pseuds/arfrid
Summary: Techno lived an ordinary life in there, living his best (or, at least kinda okay) life with Philza.When two enderman siblings come tumbling into their life, it changes a lot. (understatement of the year)
Relationships: ALL PLATONIC, Aged-Down Characters - Relationship, Niki | Nihachu & Ranboo & Technoblade, Niki | Nihachu & Technoblade, Ranboo & Technoblade, Technoblade & Niki Nihachu & Phil Watson & Ranboo, its only niki and ranboo tho dont worry
Comments: 6
Kudos: 126





	training for a simpler life

**Author's Note:**

> the design for niki and ranboo is VERY VERY VERY HEAVILY INSPIRED BY ToastyGlow's "Escape from Divinity" I TAKE NO CREDIT FOR IT
> 
> you know the drill, this isnt the cc's etc etc.
> 
> SO THE NEW SYNDICATE HUH

The little piglin toddler felt a mystical force all around him as the people cradling him stepped into the purple glowing thing.

Dressed in rags, with his twin brother being held by the person beside him, he watched with wonder as they entered a completely different world.

It was a vast contrast from his red-and-orange world, with strange colours and even stranger textures. The weird piglin with circular ears and a weird nose and no tusks placed him down onto the floor. The piglin felt the strange textures under his hoove-feet thingies.

The man holding his brother walk ed the other way, but the little piglin paid them no mind, in awe of all the different colours and most of all the  _light._

In his homeland, the only source of light was the flowing red stuff that the piglin walked in with ease.

But these – these weren't _liquids_ , they were static, just below the roof, and they were _yellow_ , not orange.

T he man grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him forwards.

The men muttered something about,  _"long drive ahead"_ , though the piglin had no idea what it meant.

He was placed in a crate, alone, while a half-blaze with red-and-blue glasses spoke in whispers of a language the piglin didn't understand, and the half-wither skeleton boy sat silent, his pure-white eyes glowing in the dark, so they just sat, not saying anything to eachother.

The piglin didn't know how long they'd been travelling – time was hard to tell in the wooden box – when they came to un abrupt halt.

They were taken out of the crates, in a place that looked similar to when he had first gotten taken. It was really, really big and grey with brown bits on the side.

He stared in wonder at the building a million times his size, but a man pulled him forwards, bringing him in.

Another man behind a piece of brown talked to the man who had pulled him in a tongue that the piglin, again, did not understand. The other two ones who were in the crates were pulled in different directions, while the piglin was brought forwards, into what looked like a room.

There was another man there, sitting on the bed, with a green and white hat, smile wrinkles around his eyes, and blonde hair trailing down from the hat. The man caught his eyes and smiled kindly, and immediately the piglin was attached.

The man told the blonde man some things, including the piglin's own name, and then the blonde man picked up the piglin, still sitting on the bed.

The man who had taken him did a motion with his shoulders and walked out.

The piglin watched him go, his curiousity only mounting.

The blonde man grabbed his hand, and said in a soft voice. "Hello, Technoblade. My name is Philza."

A  sixteen-year-old Techno stood by the iron bars that would rise any second now, willing the memories to go away.

_ Not now, _ he pleaded,  _ not before a fight. _

Of course, his brain was an ass and kept repeating the scene where his brother was taken away, reminding Techno that it was his fault that his brother was missing. If he had only fought..

A buzzer went off, startling Techno out of his thoughts. He shook his head, standing back from the metal bars.

Another buzz went off, and the crowds yelled, hurting Techno's sensetive ears.

One last buzz went off, and the bars rose. Techno walked out,  trying to ignore the cheers that came his way.

"TECH _NO!_ TECH _NO!_ TECH _NO!"_ They all yelled, delighted at their favourite star appearing. Techno winced from the sound and covered his eyes from the bright lights.

After three more buzzes, his opponent came out of his cell, a man with crazy in his eyes.

Ah, yes. A psychopath. Techno had wondered what criminal was going to be brought in today, whether a murderer, a terrorist, or a thief. Today was a psychopath.

The man ran forwards, knife clutched in hand, clearly hoping he could rush him. Techno waited for him, then grabbed his arm with one hand and punched him with the other hand. The man flew to the wall, his skinny frame no match for Techno's heavily built one.

Techno ran forwards, hoping to end this quickly, but the man had other ideas. He quickly snatched his knife and slashed at Techno's chest, drawing a fresh lot of blood. Techno did a pained grunt as the audience winced, saying,  _"Oooh!"_

Ignoring them, he grabbed the man's head and bashed it into the ground. Now the man's nose was bleeding. Techno gripped him by the back of the shirt and threw him to the other side of the stadium.

The man clutched his arm and staggered backwards, clearly afraid. Techno grabbed the man's knife and ran forwards, pinning him against the wall.

Leaning close enough so that he could whisper and the man would hear, he whispered gently, "I'm sorry. It was a good game." just as he put the knife through the man's gut.

Tuning out the congratulations and waving when necessary, he walked back into the cell.

"Eyyy, congratulations, man!" Said a duck hybrid as he passed. His kind-of-not-really-friend, Quackity. "What is that, 35th win in a row?"

"36th." Techno grunted, not even trying to hide his pride at his win.

"Well done, Technoblade." Came a sincere voice. Techno attempted to disguise his smile as Phil came into view.

" Thanks," Techno said to him. He always liked getting complimented by Phil. "let's go back to base."

Phil nodded, and his hat, while more worm than it had been at first, was the same as ever atop his head.

They said no words as they walked back, in fear of getting heard by some of the guards. They eyed him warily and shuffled out the way as he walked past them. He snorted at that, discreetly whispering to Phil that,  _"some guards they are."_

When they got back to Techno's room, which was the same as it was all those years ago, Phil immediately locked the door and sat him down on the bed.

He winced at the slash across Techno's chest, sucking in a breath.

Seeing Phil's concerned expression made Techno sigh. "That bad, huh?"

"He really did a number on you, didn't he, that little prick." Phil said, his voice wavering to anger for a second, before his kind tone took hold again as he grabbed the medical supplies. "You said sorry to him."

Techno grunted. "Like I always do, Phil. Common courtesy, y'know?"

Phil sighed. "It's better than what they deserve." He glanced up at Techno's eyes, and somehow sensed Techno's guilt and tutted, putting some stinging oil on that made Techno wince. "You can't go feeling bad for them, Techno. They're criminals. They've killed more people than you."  
  


_I doubt they killed that many,_ Techno thought. On the outside, he only grunted again, this time in pain as Phil tightened the bandage around his chest.

After he was done, Phil sat next to Techno, clearly lost on what to say. Because, what could you really say in this situation.  _Well done for killing another guy, Techno! Here's a medal._

After a few moments of silence, Phil pulled out a sheet. Techno, expecting it to be some kind of quiz thing to test his intelligence again, groaned dramatically and lay down on the bed.

"There's two new hybrids," Phil said. Techno's interest peaked, he looked up. "The only hybrids of their kind they've found, apparently.  They want you to teach them fighting. "

Techno shot up so quickly it should have alarmed Phil.

" What!" Techno yelled, getting up off the bed. "I don't  _do_ kids, Phil! You know this!"

Phil raised his hands defensively. "Hey, it wasn't me that sent out the order. They think you'd be a good match, considering you're the best fighter this ring has ever had."  
  


"Yeah, but-" Techno waved his hands again in frustration. "I don't go well with kids! I've told them this a million times!"

"You've told me a million times."

Techno waved a hand dismissively. "Same thing."

Phil snorted at that, leaning against the frame of Techno's bed.

Techno started pacing, listing the reasons why he and kids should never, ever go together.

When he was on the tenth reason, Phil put up a hand. "Techno-"

"And it's not like I don't like kids!"

"Techno-"  
  


"They're just weird and grabby and annoying and-"  
  


_"Technoblade-"_   


"-and-"

"MATE!" Phil shouted, standing up. Techno was stunned. Phil never shouted, unless it was absolutely necessary. As Techno sat back down on the bed, with Phil in front of him, the blondie sighed. "It'll be good for you. Admit it, you need some sort of socialization that isn't me."

"I just need you."

"I'm touched, mate, I really am. I know that having kids in your life could change a lot. You've got quite a dark lifestyle-"

"Understatement of the year." Techno muttered.

"-and it would do some good for you to just teach kids to train." Phil finished, as if he hadn't been interrupted. Techno looked over Phil skeptically.

"And how do you know that?"

"Because having you here changed my life." Phil said, his voice a little softer. "I raised you right here. In this very room. I had only trained fully grown adults, and I needed a break and boom, you appeared, like a miracle. And you getting them assigned to you, I think that's  _your_ miracle."

Techno was quiet. Neither knew how to break the silence, so they sat there, Piglin and Human.

"And also it's an order from the system, so you kinda have to do it either way."

"Oh,  _son of a bitch-"_

Techno was stood outside the door, nervously fiddling with his sword. He had never played or even seen other kids around in the establishment, and so, he had no idea how they worked.

Phil had given him a brief rundown on how they operated and what to do in case of an emergency.

In fact, the man himself stood across from Techno, irritated that he just  _wouldn't open the door yet_ .

"Mate, just open it."

"What if they don't like me?" Techno said, voicing his fears for the millionth time that day. Phil rolled his eyes.

"They're going to love you. I know I do. So just... go ahead."

Techno glanced over at Phil, then sighed and opened it.

Two kids  sat in the middle of the room, and Techno had never seen anyone like them.

They had black clawed hands that faded into normal skin colours across the arm. They had weird legs, if Techno had to give them a description, he would describe them as, 'Demon Legs' like in Phil's storybooks, which went along with their long fiddly tails. They also had glowing eyes that gave off a frightening aura, accompanied with pointed ears.  
  


One was taller than the other, with longer hair which Techno decided to mean that it was a girl, and she had one blue eye and one purple one, while the boy, who had shorter hair, had red and green eyes.  The girl looked about eight, while the boy looked around five or six.

The moment Techno closed the door, their ears along with their heads swivelled round at the sound, and they studied him curiously.

There was a stare-off, when Techno considered just walking out, but in the end decided that wouldn't be very mentorly of him.

He cleared his throat and said, "Sit down."

The kids obeyed, not quite sitting, but kneeling instead. Techno decided that was good enough and walked forwards and sat in front of them.

"Hello there, what are your names? I'm Technoblade."

The hybrids glanced at eachother, clearly debating whether to trust him.

The girl put a clawed hand on her chest and said, "Niki."

The boy did the same, instead saying, "Ranboo."

Technoblade, deciding he should probably imitate them, put a hand on his own scarred chest and said, "Technoblade."

They sat in silence for a moment, before Techno mustered up the courage to speak again.

"Right, so that's established. So, I'm gonna, uh, be your mentor, I guess. We're gonna learn fighting, okay?"

The kids both nodded. Techno, taking this as a good sign, plowed on. "So, what do you guys know about fighting?"

They shared another glance, before looking back at Techno and shrugging.

"Um, okay! That's fine, that's fine, uuuhhh... We're just gonna start from scratch then, I guess." He told them, standing up.

They followed his lead and stood up  with him, still looking up at him with a hesitant curiousity.

"Okay, so you're gonna wanna spread your legs a little like this." He got into a  defensive, or 'battle',  stance, which they both imitated.

"Now you're gonna wanna put your hands up, like, defense-offense," he told them, then he raised his hands in a karate way. They imitated him him again, mumbling _"defence-offence"_ under their breath. They were clearly rookies in the english language. He could relate. After all, he had only learnt from Philza how to speak it.

"Now copy me." He said, doing a simple motion of jabbing.

The training sesh took all day. They were very good, even if the younger boy was a bit clumsy, but otherwise, they imitated perfectly what he did and the information he told them was very well received. He explained very thoroughly what do you when your enemy was closing in, and what not to do.

At the end of the day, he felt an unfamiliar sadness at the idea of leaving them, almost like an ache.

_ It isn't forever,  _ he reminded himself.  _ I'll see them again tomorrow. _

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" He told them both. Despite only being sixteen, he felt more emotions than he should at that age, but hey. For hybrids, that's just the way the cookie crumbled. "You guys're really good."

Their expressions were stunned, as if they hadn't ever been complimented. His heartstrings pulled, and he grabbed  both of their clawed hands.

"Bye, Niki." He said. Niki smiled proudly, a timid blush dusting her cheeks.

"Bye, Ranboo." He said. Ranboo smiled shyly, a tint blush colouring his face.

"Bye-bye. Tech-no-blade!" Niki and Ranboo said together, giggling. Techno chuckled, waving as he exited the door.

Phil, unsurprisingly, was waiting outside for him. The man studied him expectantly.

"So, how'd it go?" Phil asked, a smile dancing in his eyes.

Techno held his breath for a second, then breathed out, looking back at the door, where he knew the kids were.

He looked at Phil, and with full seriousness, said, "When's the next lesson?"

  
  


"You got 'n in-jue- ree ." An eight-year-old Ranboo noted with a frown on his face at the new twin scars on Techno's wrists.

Technoblade laughed good-naturedly and ruffled his head, as a  eleven -year-old Niki playfully smacked Ranboo, saying, "Ran! Rude to point!"

"Don't worry,  j ust a result from a fight, lil 'boo." Techno assured them. Niki's  heterochromanic  eyes widened, as she walked over to  inspect the damage.

"We're going to.. fight?" Niki asked, looking crestfallen. Techno wondered what she meant before the implication set in. He quickly jumped to reassure her.

"No, no! Not me and you. You'll be fighting evenly with someone." Techno told her assuringly. "Me and you, we'll never fight. Neither will you two," he said, grabbing one of Niki's hands and one of Ranboo's hands in his own. "and neither will me and 'boo. Okay?"

They both visibly relaxed. "You promise?" Niki asked.

"I promise."

Techno cracked his neck as he entered the playing field once more, eyeing his opponent.

The thief eyed him warily, and they started circling  one another.

"You know, I'd like this to end quickly." Techno said, and he ran towards him and punched him to the ground. The thief grunted,  and their voice was quite a high pitch. Suddenly the thief wasn't a thief, it was Niki, and he was  _hurting her, what was he doing-_

He quickly got off, but realized his mistake too late. It wasn't Niki. It was still the thief.

There were boos from the audience, but Techno didn't care.  All he cared about was why the thief had suddenly been Niki.. What had happened?

A punch to the face brought him back to earth, and the guy swung an axe (when the hell did he get an  _axe_ ?) towards his midsection.

"That's enough." A voice boomed out. The thief was shot in the back, and down they fell. Techno was stunned. He hadn't lost a game since..

The audience boo'd Techno, dissapointed by their favourite star, as he was forcefully thrown out the field.

"You call that  _fighting_ ?" A voice called from above him. Techno stayed down, shame bubbling up through him. "Fucking hell.. you deserve a punishment... And I know just the thing."

The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was unbearable pain, like he was burning and stretching and being squeezed all at once.

In his dreams, the thief kept appearing, changing shape into Niki, then to Ranboo, then Philza.. Firey hands gripped his middle and people with crowns laughed around him... an alarm went off and he was running from the hands...

"Mate, what have they  _done_ to you?" 

Techno shot up, feeling like he was just shot like a cannonball. His forehead collided painfully against Philza's, who fell down, muttering and swearing.

Techno felt a numb ache all around his middle, and looked down to see a bunch of burns, all across his middle, severe burns at that.

"What the hell happened, Phil?" Techno asked.

"I don't know. You lost the game, and then they brought you to your room like this." Phil paused, then added, "Well, not exactly like this, your clothes were all ripped."

" That's just great." Techno muttered, getting up. "How long I been out?"

"A week."

"A we- that means I haven't given Niki and Ranboo lessons!" Techno shouted, jumping out the bed  and putting clothes on at top speed.

Phil looked alarmed. "Mate, you can't just go charging, doing fight classes!" Phil reasoned. "You've only just woken up!"

"I've got to give them class. If- When they need to fend for themselves, they'll know how to survive!" Techno told him urgently. "If they get hurt or killed because I couldn't teach them the stupid class, then what's the point?"

"Techno-"

"Don't try and convince me otherwise, Phil." Techno said, an implied threat in his words.

Phil hesitated. Then he walked forwards and pulled Techno's T-Shirt down, enough so that it covered his burns.

Techno blinked in surprise, having expected a fight. Phil sighed and looked up at him.

"Just... Make sure they don't see, okay, mate?" Phil asked him. Techno smiled, unashamed to feel tears in his eyes, and gave him a hug. Phil chuckled and hugged him back. "Under all that fur, you're really just a softie, all bark and no bite."

" Shut up." Techno laughed, then rushed out of his room, running to where he knew Niki and Ranboo's room was, having memorized it after years of visiting.

He opened the door, only to his surprise to find the room completely devoid of light, completely dark.

Then two pairs of heterochromanic eyes appeared in the shadows: one which was blue and purple, the other which was red and green.

He found the light switch and flipped it on, and was instantly blindsided in a hug.

"Woah, woah!" Techno said, slightly overwhelmed. "You missed me, didn'tcha?"

The sound of crying filled the room. Techno, not at all prepared for this, rubbed circles on their back.

"Hey, what's wrong, what's-" He said in the same soft voice Philza often used.  
  


"Don't you ever scare us like that, Techno!" Niki yelled, punching him feebly in a weak attempt at anger.

"We thought you were going to die!" Ranboo yelled, crying onto his shirt.

Techno sat up, which made both the kids go into a kneeling position.

They both sniffled, and Techno thought how  _young_ they were.. Ranboo was only 11, and Niki had only turned 14 two weeks ago. They didn't deserve this.

"I'm sorry for being gone so long... I just had to rest after the fight." He assured them, giving them a half-truth. Niki snarled – it looked uncomfortably familiar on her usually kind and gentle features – and clenched her fist.

"Did you kill them?" Niki asked, her voice dark. Ranboo looked offended on Techno's behalf.

"Of course he did! He's Technoblade! He hasn't lost  _one_ in all the time we've been here!" Ranboo said incredulously. Then he looked towards Technoblade. "Come on! Tell her you beat him."

Techno hesitated for a beat before telling her, "Of course! C'mon, I'm the invincible Technoblade!"

She snorted. "You weren't so invincible when I knocked your weapon out of your hand.  _With a stick._ "

"I told you, sticks are perfectly dangerous weapons!" Technoblade told her, glad that they were out of those dangerous waters.

However, something must have dragged him back under those waters, because Ranboo said, "Technoblade, you're hurt!"

"What?!" Niki asked, looking over, gasping when she saw the burns.

They looked up at him, both incredulous. Technoblade felt uncomfortable under their  stares, coughed, and looked away.

After a beat of silence, Niki asked, "This couldn'tve been a normal human..." She gasped. "Did you have to fight a hybrid?!" She said, getting up, her tail swaying urgently.

Ranboo looked up at her and gasped. "Don't tell me we're gonna have to fight some, too!"

"What? No, no! Of course I didn't fight a hybrid! They did this to me after I lost the game and-" Too late, he realized what he said, and closed his eyes, sucking in a breath.

"You  _lost the game?!"_ Ranboo yelled incredulously.

"The people did this to you?!" Niki yell-asked at the exact same time.

They started yelling at him, and it was impossible to discern which voices were who's. Technoblade put his hands to his temple and sighed.

He put a hand up and both went silent. He touched the spot that was burned, disguising his wince, and said "Look, I'm fine, see. How about the lesson?"

They exchanged uneasy glances, but agreed nonetheless. He taught them a Technoblade special move, the Bitch-Slap-Dropkick, which consisted of, well, bitch-slapping the opponent then dropkicking them into next week (yes, he described it as that, and yes, Niki and Ranboo were super confused about it and yes, he spent 15 minutes explaining it).

After about 5 hours of teaching them new moves or examining them beat up dummies, he called it a day.

They both watched him concernedly as he walked out the door.

God, he hated it when people cared. Especially when he cared about them too.

The following day, he was resting in his bed, with Philza putting on new bandages on his burns.

"I would really like to dropkick somebody today. Preferably Jschlatt." Phil hummed in agreement, his eyes flickering towards Techno's face before concentrating again on his dressings.

Then the alarm went off, and red light coated the room, Techno immediately got up, but Phil pushed him down.

"I'll check it out and come back, okay? You're not allowed to leave the room." Phil told him firmly. Techno scoffed and rolled his eyes, getting up anyways.

"We  _are_ allowed to leave during an emergency, so y'know."

Philza groaned. "You are impossible."

"Ditto, Phil, ditto."

T hey walked out Techno's room and further down,  not hearing anything apart from the alarm and people rushing about.

A few other hybrids were taking this chance to escape, even temporarily, and guards were in a panic, rushing about.

Techno saw that blaze-boy (he thought his name was Jake? Jack?) with the glasses run around, while the half-wither white-eyed boy kill people left and right by summoning skulls to attack the people around him.

A little further along, it was silent (minus the alarm) and after a moment, they thought they heard scuffling. They looked at eachother and shrugged, running towards it.

They turned the corner and Phil put his hands over his mouth, but all other noise was blocked out for Techno.

Niki and Ranboo had both finished killing about 5 guards, and they were panting above the bodies, their tails swishing dangerously.

The two turned, gasping when they saw Techno and enveloping him in yet another hug, though it was short.

"We're going to get out, escape!" Niki told him proudly.

"And you're coming with!" Ranboo finished determinedly.

Techno and Phil exchanged looks, trying to hide their excitement  and dread. Instead of answering, Phil asked what was on Techno's mind.

"You just killed 5 dudes." He noted interestedly. They both nodded, obviously proud of themselves.

"I'd never  _had_ so much  _fun_ !" Ranboo said gleefully. Niki nodded, her eyes glowing with gleefullness.

"It's exciting in the lessons but so much more exciting in real life!" Niki added, beaming proudly.

"But anyways, we're going to escape!" Ranboo told him. "Come on!"

"Now or never!" Niki warned.

Techno considered. He'd been dreaming about the outside world since he was just a young piglin, Phil having told him stories of when  _he_ was just a child ("sure you weren't always old?" he had asked mischieviously, then phil smacked him with a pillow). He'd always known it existed, but there was a comfort in staying here. On one hand, he knew this place inside out, and the outside was unknown, and was he really ready to face that? On the other hand, he was treated horribly here, and he didn't like it at all. He didn't want to fight his whole life.

Before he could decide on one, however, a pained yell caught his attention.

He stepped back in alarm as the sound rang through his ears.

Behind the kids were a bunch of men in grey uniforms, all holding attach chains (especially painful hybrid ones that grab your opponent whenever you throw). One had grabbed Ranboo by the wrist, and another by his other wrist.

"Ranboo!" Niki yelled, just before one grabbed her by the wrist. She screamed in pain as another latched onto her other wrist.

Powerless to do anything, Techno just watched, horrified yet transfixed at the sight.

They were yanked back, into the guard's arms, and chloroformed.  He stared as they went limp into the guard's arms.

Jschlatt himself came,  with his  _stupid_ yankees hat , observing  the scene with a cold interest. "My, my. The two ender siblings seemed to have got themselves in a pickle, huh?"

He started off straightforward. "Mr. Minecraft, you're fired. Techno, get back to your room or I'll make you."  He knelt down to be eye-level with the kids, and his mouth twitched upwards into a smirk. "I'll decide what to do to these little ones."

"No!" Philza and Techno both yelled, getting over their stunned shock. Jschlatt surveyed them coldly.

"And what makes you think you have the right to see them?" Jschlatt asked, his voice soft but his tone harsh.

"I trained them for 6 years. I have the right, as their mentor, tutor, and friend." Techno told him, then glanced at Phil. Phil knew his cue and stared round at them impressively.

"Visitation: Protocol 9, Paragraph 6.5: Anyone who has mentored, tutored, shared a room with or learnt from them for 2+ years have the official right to see them." Phil said, now staring down Jschlatt. Jschlatt tutted, getting up and stuffing his hands in a pocket.

"If you'd actually looked, you'd know that we can hold them up to 24 hours in solitary, aka, _with no contact_ ," he said, patronizing Techno. Techno snarled, his fury bubbling up at everything that was happening. "and so that's what I'll do. Philza Minecraft, you are _fired,_ and you are to leave this establishment. Get your belongings and get outta here."  
  


Techno watched as Philza, his long-time mentor, friend and father figure looked down in defeat. They exchanged a look, and with a nod they both went to Techno's room (where Phil's belongings were as well).

He got all his things in a defeated silence, and hesitated when confronted with the bandages.

"You should keep them." Phil said, chucking them over to Techno, and smiling kindly, just like he did when Techno was little. That was when Techno broke, running over to Phil and hugging him, wanting never to let him go. Phil, obviously caught unawares, staggered before fiercely hugging back.

"Please don't go, please don't, Phil, I need you, please-" Techno told him, grasping on Phil's clothes. Phil just chuckled wetly.

"You haven't needed me for a long time. You just want me." Phil told him, tears and pride clear in his voice, and everything kind and soft, so tender and  _fatherly._

They both kneeled down onto the floor, still holding onto eachother like survivors of a shipwreck, grasping each other like a wave was about to crash down on them both.

When they broke apart after a few minutes, Phil smiled at him and reached up to ruffle his hair. Funny, he used to be able to pick Techno up and cradle him in his arms.

"Bye, Techno." He said, picking up his suitcase and patting Techno on the back. "I'll see you soon." He whispered, bringing a finger to his lips, and though Techno didn't understand, he nodded at him, and watched him leave.

Techno didn't sleep that night, the sight of Phil leaving him forever and the ideas of punishments for Niki and Ranboo that got steadily more terrifying  as the night went on.

Techno waited outside the room where Niki and Ranboo were being kept, pacing anxiously and regularly checking the clock on the far side of the wall. It was only one minute until he was allowed in. Schlatt seemed to find his pacing amusing, making whispered comments each time Techno passed him.

Techno glared at the man. He wanted to tear the yankee hat's brim off and make him eat it.

The thought made him chuckle, which made Schlatt frown, but then the man laughed, as if there was some inside joke that Techno didn't know.

When Techno asked what made him laugh, he just said, "Go in now."

Wasting no time, he ran into antichamber, passing the guards with unease. They made him walk past a barrier of water, and he had to weave past several traps, following the guards' instructions carefully.

When he finally reached the actual chamber, the first thing to hit him was the  _cold._ It was freezing. Freezing as in, minus degrees freezing.

Niki and Ranboo were side by side, unable to reach eachother because of the chains on their wrists that were attached to the wall.

"Techno!" They both exclaimed, and Techno ran forwards, and hugged them both.

They just stayed like that for a while, and Techno noted their trembling bodies (with cold or fear, Techno didn't want to know), their shuddering breaths, their ice-cold skin. He swore they hadn't been that cold before.

That fucking prick... Jschlatt would pay, one day.

But today was not that day. 

"What happened?" Ranboo asked anxiously, peering over to hopefully catch a glimpse of Phil. "Where is he?"

Techno's heart dropped, and he stuttered with his words. "I- Uhm, he- he had to leave. I'm sorry."

Both of their expressions shattered, along with Techno's heart.

They held onto him again as they started crying, but after a few seconds he realized they were taking pained  heaving sobs .

_Shit,_ he thought. Their tears must have been hurting them, because, after all, it was water too.

"Hey, hey," he wiped their tears away, "it's gonna be okay. Okay? I'll- I'll organize something with Schlatt and we can decrease the punishment, okay?"

They both smiled weakly at that, and for a second, Techno thought it might be okay.

As he walked out, he caught Schlatt's eye and saw a shred of sympathy.

A few days later, as Techno walked down the hall, ignoring the muttered comments about him as he was accompanied by two guards to take a breath of fresh air, he walked past the private field.

And he froze.

Niki and Ranboo were both standing on solid pieces of stone facing opposite eachother, with chains latched to their wrists and attached to the floor. Schlatt was watching the scene with a pained expression, as somebody walked across the field wielding.. wielding a huge axe.. an executioner's axe.

His heart plummeted to the frozen depths of the dark ocean, then went through a lavapool.

He watched as both the ender siblings struggled, trying to undo their bonds. The Executioner stepped at Niki, who was first, and raised the axe.

_"NO!"_ Techno boomed, and the sound ricocheted off the walls. He bashed the fence seperating Techno and the Private Field, and ran towards them so fast everything was a blur.

In fact, even when he  _wasn't_ running it was a blur. Red covered his vision, dysforming the figures as if they were simply practice dummies.

He bitch-slapped the executioner, then grabbed him and drop-kicked him. Grabbing the axe that had almost... killed Niki, he cut one of the bonds.

At this point, everyone seemed to have recovered their stunned disbelief. Open fire was unleashed out on him, and he hit the deck.

A voice yelled, "STOP!", and Techno couldn't believe his ears.

He looked up in astonishment to see Philza Minecraft himself, running towards them.

"You okay, Techno, Ranboo, Niki?"

Techno didn't let anybody answer, telling Phil to "Cut their bonds. Take the axe and cut it down."

Phil nodded, snatching the axe and working away.

Techno ran towards the guards, violently fighting like he had never fought before. He was a monster, a beast, a killing machine. He worked at the pace of fully loaded gun. Every hit was a takedown.

In no time at all, Schlatt was the only one standing.

  
"Leave,  and don't let me catch you here again ." Techno said, pushing him for good measure. He wasn't sure what made him have his act of mercy, but nobody questioned it. Schlatt ran for i t, obviously running on pure adrenaline.

Techno walked forwards, barely staggering as he walked towards Niki and Ranboo, who had taken a fair amount of guards themselves.

They looked up at him, awe visible in their eyes.

"That was so cool!" Ranboo said, running forwards and hugging his leg.

"That. Was. AMAAAAAZING!" Niki yelled, crawling up onto his back, enabling him to hold her like he was giving her a piggy back ride.

Techno laughed as he felt their tails wrapping around his legs and chest respectively, and so did Philza, and Techno remembered the man was there.

They stared at eachother with infinite trust for a moment.

"Mate." Phil said softly.

"Mate." Techno said in a bad imitation of Phil's accent.

"I let them out. All of them." Phil told him calmly. "This place won't be used anymore. The moment we get a good way out of here, I'll detonate the place."

"That's great."

"Let's  _go_ then." Niki and Ranboo complained together. Everyone laughed at that.

A few days later, having succesfully blown up the Hybrid fighting place and safely settled down in a nice forest by a cliff, there were laughs and jokes all around.

Niki and Ranboo both slept together in a seperate small cabin, though they often left it to sleep with Phil and Techno, who were more than happy to let them sleep there.

There was a river nearby where they could safely catch fish and cook them later for dinner. It was a nice, with a lazy excitement to it.

It would go like this.

Niki and Ranboo would sneak into Techno and Phil's cabin, get into their bunks and sleep along with them, then Phil and/or Techno would go catch some fish, and they'd either be really sleepy all day, or really playful all day.

Techno was happy to settle in a routine like that.

After a week of surviving there, they heard rumors that a search party was going to begin the next night. Techno didn't want to leave the comfort that was of this place, but they convinced him to go.

The night before they broke camp, they sat by the cliff, Niki and Ranboo both in that weird spiderman pose, and Phil and Techno both cross-legged.

They said no words as they watched the sun go down, the end of their last peaceful day in that valley.

For the first time in a very long while (17 years), Techno felt safe, finally with his found family.


End file.
